Toshiba Satellite P855-32G review

Great performance at a reasonably low price for this 15-incher

The Toshiba P855 is really nothing new to the market – rather, it's simply an updated version of the P850, which, aside from its less capable Core i3 processor, has an identical spec and costs an astonishing £220 less.

But for those wanting the extra performance, the £650 for the faster version still feels like good value for money.

Aside from the lack of a full HD screen, this laptop certainly ticks all the boxes for those looking for a quality home entertainment laptop.

The weight and battery life might put those looking for a balance of capabilities off, but for those who consign their computing duties to home, this is just the job.

We liked

The P855 has a lot of power under the hood, which makes it great for watching hi-def movies, playing newer games, and multitasking till the cows come home. It's good to know that the P855 will be future proof for the next couple of years.

The design might not be particularly inspiring, but the build quality is right up there with the best – it will still feel well put together even after an extended period of use.

The vibrant screen and the crystal clear Harmon Kardon speakers are a particular highlight of the P855, and the huge range of high-spec features (including more USB 3.0 ports than you can shake a stick at) really round off the P855 as a great do-it-all laptop.

We disliked

The keyboard isn't particularly great for typing, so if you plan to do a lot of this on the P855, then you might want to consider another laptop as it really isn't the best we've seen.

As we've stated previously, the battery life isn't particularly remarkable.

Nor is the weight and thickness of the P855, which means you certainly wouldn't pick this if you were planning to head out on the road a lot.

The bloatware also really put us off, but if you're really prepared you could easily remove all of this or do a fresh install.

Ideally, we would also have liked a full HD screen and perhaps a Blu-ray player at this price point. Then this would have really been the ultimate value entertainment machine.

Final verdict

The Toshiba P855 is one of the better conventional laptops we've seen of late, offering a lot of performance for a relatively small price tag.

Laptops like the Medion Akoya P6635 might be even more powerful and cheaper, but you notice where corners have been cut.

Aside from a few small niggles, the P855 delivers the goods.

This is the perfect machine for someone who wants a home entertainment powerhouse.